Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away! Many of us will be traveling over this holiday weekend to be with friends and family, some will be cooking at home, and others will be dining out. Whatever you may be doing, I pray that your Thanksgiving Day will be blessed with an abundance of food, love, and family/friends!

Now, if you are wondering what you can make to take to your "potluck" Thanksgiving, or just need an extra dish for your table, here are a few recipes that are quick, easy, and delicious! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

I mentioned in my previous post that I recently attended a Tea Party. It was a Ladies Tea with several of our church members. We had a great time!! We played games, ate some amazing food, and drank lots of yummy tea! There were so many kinds of tea it was hard to choose which one to taste first. From chai to mint to raspberry to darjeeling...and then there was the Friendship Tea that I made. It is basically a citrusy, spicy, sometimes bitter tea and is sometimes referred to as Wassail.

The recipe that I used for this particular Friendship Tea came from my mom. My hometown always has a Homemakers Christmas Bazaar, and since Mom is the secretary for the Extension Office there, she always has to work the bazaar. Every year she helps make the Friendship Tea and Country Ham Biscuits to sell for breakfast at the bazaar. YUM!! Those two go hand-in-hand. You just cannot have a country ham biscuit without a cup of hot Friendship Tea! :)

Okay, here is the recipe for the tea. Now I will tell you that this makes a BUNCH of tea. It is perfect for gift-giving (I made baggies to hand out to our ladies at the tea) - just put it in a little decorative container or a baggie and make it all pretty. I'm sure someone would love to have this!

Friendship Tea

2 cups instant tea3 teaspoons cinnamon2 cups lemonade mix (such as Country Time)2 3/4 cup sugar1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves2 1/2 cups Tang orange drink mixMix all ingredients together well. To make an individual cup of tea, you will need 2-3 tablespoons per 8 oz. of boiling water. If making a crockpot (or stovetop pot) full, you will need 2-3 cups per pot, depending on how strong you like it. You will probably have to "sample" it a couple of times to get the right depth of flavor.Just make sure to add a little at at time so as not to make it "overpowering". :) (I think mine was a little overpowering - - pretty strong and kind of bitter. Next time I will add less tea mixture and more water.)Hope you enjoy this tea! It is perfect for a cool fall evening or cold winter night. Just curl up with your blanket (or in this day and age - a Snuggie!), a good book, and a warm cup of Friendship Tea. Mmmmmm..... :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

This is the best chicken salad you will ever eat. Period. This recipe comes from Mrs. Mary Garrett, a dear lady who passed away a few years ago. She was the mother of "Little Mary", a friend and co-worker of my Mom. Mrs. Mary made this chicken salad for my wedding (my one request!) and it is SO good! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have/do.

This is not only a great, flavorful salad but it is also very colorful! Especially if you use the red grapes and red apples. It is also a great salad to serve at showers, get-togethers, or Teas (I will be posting about a special Tea I attended this past weekend in the next few days). YUMMY!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

If you are one of my blog readers, by now you should know that I am all about easy, simple recipes. Just call me semi-homemade. :) Here is another one of my super easy recipes. Actually, it's not even a recipe, just something "extra special" for breakfast. :)

Chocolate Chip PancakesPancake MixWaterChocolate ChipsMix pancake mix with water until you achieve the desired consistency. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour onto hot griddle or skillet. Lightly brown one side, then flip and brown other side. Enjoy!!

Now how super-easy was that? Haha, I know, I know. This was one of those "I cannot believe she posted this" posts. Well, I did. And let me tell you, these pancakes taste just like a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie! How can you resist that for breakfast??! :)